Founder of JOTA is SK

Les Mitchell G3BHK, known as the 'father of JOTA', passed away on Monday, October 6

He was one of the Radio Scouters at the Jamboree in 1957 that gave birth to the idea of a Jamboree On The Air (JOTA). The first event was held in 1958. To many he was known as the father of JOTA.

In 2000, recalling the first event, Les wrote "Little did I think when I drew up the plans and rules for the first event in 1958 that it's popularity would increase and spread around the world. Even more astonishing is the fact that after all this time it still holds it's popularity and now has a participation of some half a million Scouts and Guides in over one hundred countries involving some ten thousand amateur radio stations. In fact it has become the largest international Scout event ever."

Radio Scouting - Les Mitchell G3BHK - http://www.radio-scouting.org.uk/index.php?page=the-founder-of-jota

The Ham Radio Un-Club

Sometimes the best way to re-energize a club is to deformalize it 

David Gauger W9CJS describes his Un-Club - a club-like group who have widely divergent activities and interests but who are drawn together each week by their love for amateur radio.

What is it that keeps the group going? It is probably the lack of formal organizational structure as much as anything. In an Un-Club members have the freedom to participate or not, in any or all activities. They don’t concern themselves with dues or minutes, but only with the camaraderie - just plain fun.

He suggests you think about these:

• If your club is atrophying; if it is staid and lacks interest, perhaps it needs less structure.
• If the officers sit at the front table and the members are an audience, then something’s wrong.
• If the treasurer takes 10 minutes to detail where every penny went, then something’s wrong.
• If the same people are in leadership roles time and again, then something’s wrong.
• If your club is so focused on winning Field Day as to exclude newer members from operating various modes because of established teams, then something’s wrong.

Read the ARRL Un-Club article - http://www.arrl.org/the-un-club

Camb-Hams Keeping New Radio Hams - http://www.southgatearc.org/news/january2013/keeping_new_radio_hams.htm

Kerry Amateur Radio Group issued an additional callsign

The Kerry Amateur Radio Group, based in Co. Kerry, Ireland, are pleased to announce that we have been issued with an additional callsign, EI1K.

Kerry Amateur Radio Group issued an additional callsign

The club intend to use the callsign EI1K for contest operating, while our other callsign EI1KARG will continue to be used for club field day operations and special event stations.

The Kerry Amateur Radio Group have a qrz.com page for the callsign EI1K where photographs of our various activities and details of our club can be found.